Automation

Dynamic IPs change without warning, so run the updater on a schedule. It exits quickly when nothing changed (one paginated API read, no writes), and the lock prevents overlapping runs.

Linux / macOS: cron

Schedule the updater with cron:

crontab -e

# Every 5 minutes, quietly
*/5 * * * * /opt/Cloudflare-DNS-Updater/cloudflare-dns-updater.sh --silent

Use the absolute path to the launcher (or binary). Output is already suppressed by --silent; errors still print and land in cron mail if configured.

Linux: systemd timer

Prefer a systemd timer? Create the service unit at /etc/systemd/system/cf-updater.service:

[Unit]
Description=Cloudflare DNS Updater
After=network-online.target
Wants=network-online.target

[Service]
Type=oneshot
ExecStart=/opt/Cloudflare-DNS-Updater/cloudflare-dns-updater.sh --silent

/etc/systemd/system/cf-updater.timer:

[Unit]
Description=Run Cloudflare DNS Updater every 5 minutes

[Timer]
OnBootSec=2min
OnUnitActiveSec=5min

[Install]
WantedBy=timers.target

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable --now cf-updater.timer
systemctl list-timers cf-updater.timer

Windows: Task Scheduler

There is no Windows binary, so this runs the program from source under Git Bash (see Installation). Under WSL, use cron inside the WSL distribution instead.

1. Open Task Scheduler → Create Basic Task.
2. Name it e.g. “Cloudflare DNS Updater”.
3. Trigger: Daily, then edit the task’s properties to Repeat task every 5 minutes for a duration of Indefinitely.
4. Action: Start a Program → Program/script: C:\Program Files\Git\bin\bash.exe
5. Arguments: -c "/c/path/to/Cloudflare-DNS-Updater/cloudflare-dns-updater.sh --silent" (Git Bash uses /c/... for C:\...).
6. In the task’s settings, tick Run whether user is logged on or not if you want it to run headless.

Choosing an interval

Every run that detects no change costs one read request to the Cloudflare API. Cloudflare’s global API rate limit (1200 requests per 5 minutes per user) leaves enormous headroom even at one run per minute; every 5 minutes is a comfortable default for home connections.

Frequently asked questions

How often should it run?

Every 5 minutes is a comfortable default for home connections. Cloudflare’s limit of 1200 requests per 5 minutes leaves large headroom even at one run per minute.

Will overlapping runs cause problems?

No. A lockfile makes a second invocation exit immediately, so aggressive schedules are safe. The lock is per config file, so schedules using different config files (different zones, for example) never block each other.

How do I check it is working?

Run it once with --debug to watch IP detection and the API calls. When running from source, the same output is also written to logs/updater.log in the project directory.

Does a run cost an API request when nothing changed?

Yes, one read request per run. It only writes to the API when the IP actually changed (or when you pass --force).